


A War of Wizards -  Book One

by haleyzz



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst, F/F, F/M, First War with Voldemort, M/M, Magic, Many Characters - Freeform, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Multi, POV Multiple, Slow Build, Teenage Drama, Unreliable Narrator, characters have been aged up and down, game of thrones style point of views, gonna show all sorts of point of views, like a lot of characters - Freeform, really hoping to nail the game of thrones style of unreliable narrators and foreshadowing, teenage soldiers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:08:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29785554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haleyzz/pseuds/haleyzz
Summary: Following a disaster at a Ministry charity event, the new year at Hogwarts begins filled with tension and fear. Written in the multiple point-of-view style popularized by the Game of Thrones/ASOIAF book series. Set in the Marauders Era during James and Lily's seventh year, this will follow the story of many different characters as the war begins to heat up and the consequences become real. Many of the character's ages have been changed so they can all be in school together at the same time.





	1. The Masquerade Ball

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all, and welcome to the A War of Wizards series. I've been wanting to write a story like this for awhile. A long-running, many chaptered story that gives the points of views of many characters across both sides of the aisle. I'm hoping to get to a Game of Thrones type of feel, but forgive me as I work out the kinks. 
> 
> This story takes place in an alternate universe. Many of the characters are aged up and down, as to have them all in Hogwarts at the same time. I know that Bellatrix did not attend school with James and Sirius, but in this story she does. I hope to achieve a good balance of foreshadowing and unreliable narrating. I hope you all enjoy, and any reviews, comments, or suggestions would be much appreciated.
> 
> The first chapter will be from the point of view of Edgar Bones, who is a Ravenclaw in his 7th year at Hogwarts.

**EDGAR BONES I**

_August 30th, 1977_

_Early Evening_

_Halton Manor, London_

* * *

_Honestly, what is the Ministry thinking, holding a Masquerade Ball during these times? I can hardly recognize my friends, let alone my enemies._

The Center for a Cure of Dragonpox (CCP for short) was holding a benefit ball at a manor owned by a member of the wizengamot. All Ministry employees were invited, along with their families, as well as the members of high society with a name good enough to get them in anywhere. 

Edgar’s family was a little bit of both. 

He arrived at the ball, clad in his best dress robes, with a plain black mask on to cover his face. Beside him stood his younger sister Amelia, and in front of him were his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bones. 

The drinks table was his first stop. He was of age already, and seeing as it was a special event (likely the last before the year at Hogwarts began), he thought a flute of champagne was in order. 

He brought a glass to his lips and noticed a familiar physique coming his way. 

Edgar smiled, and leaned in her direction. “You know, I’ve never really been a big fan of these things. I like to know who I’m talking to. It’s bothersome to be in a room of strangers, but you seem familiar.”

The girl, for her part, didn’t give much away. Instead, she flashed him with a coy smile after taking a sip from her champagne. “Oh? Can you? Who am I, then?”

His smile widened. She always did have such a unique voice. And he could never mistake that mousy-brown hair. He tilted his head, acting as if he were deep in thought over the answer to the question. He was nearly certain he knew her identity, but it might be more fun to play around for a bit. He leaned into her further, bumping his shoulder against hers. “Is that you, Bellatrix?”

She raised an eyebrow, before letting out a haughty sigh to play along. She took on Bellatrix Black’s signature drawling voice and lifted a hand to play with the ends of her hair. “Why how ever did you guess, Edgar? Is it my luscious hair? Or my graceful carriage?”

His mask must not have been very good for her to guess who he was already. Edgar maintained composure for exactly two more seconds, before he chuckled. “It was definitely the graceful carriage for sure. How are you doing? How was your summer?”

Alice Fortescue was a member of Edgar’s close friend group. 

“Oh, it was perfectly dull. I helped Dad with the shop--” Alice’s father ran an ice cream shop in Diagon Alley, “--you should stop by more--” Then she stopped, seemingly growing embarrassed right before his eyes. “Wait, you _do know_ I’m Alice, right?”

Edgar snorted. “Yes, silly, I know who you are.” 

“Right,” She said blushing. “Well, anyways, you should come by the shop more, it’s sort of how I stay in touch with my friends.” Alice was notorious for being very slow to reply by owl. 

“I’m sorry for not coming by more. I’m always in need for some ice cream, especially your dad’s, but I was pretty busy this year.” He laughed a little, “My mum had me and Amelia busy from the moment that we stepped off of the train. But it was productive, so I’d still call it a good summer.”

“That’s good to hear.” Alice said, smiling tightly. Sometimes, Edgar had come to realize, Alice just looked anxious for no reason he could discern. After years of friendship, he’d gotten used to this. 

“Have you seen Frank recently?” Edgar asked, steering the subject towards someone they both enjoyed talking about. “I sent him an owl, and he said he would be here.”

She shook her head, and a strange look crossed her face. “I haven’t really spoken to him in awhile. I was hoping that he would be here, but I haven’t seen him yet.”

“Frank’s a flighty bugger.” Said Edgar. He frowned. Edgar had not seen Frank since July, and he missed his friend dearly. “Well, his loss then.” The Hobgoblins were playing at the ball tonight and Frank would surely be cross about missing them. He made a mental note to rub it in come September 1st. “Say, care to dance with me? I just got here and I think I need to do something with my feet.”

Alice perked up immediately, “Why, it would be my pleasure. Of course, it’ll be awkward swaying on my end, but I’ll let you lead.”

Edgar grinned and finished his champagne in two large gulps, “Sounds like a plan.” He held out his arm, and she took it.

Alice did not waste a second in starting a new conversation once they began their gentle sway to the tune of the music. “So, we’re seventh years now. Exciting, isn’t it?” She smiled, seemingly of the impression that Edgar was just as excited as she was. 

He knew that he should be, but something about this being the last year before he was thrust into the world was not sitting right with him. 

“Exciting, definitely.” He replied with the feigned enthusiasm of somebody who had said the same lie over and over again. He was dreading the year beginning, let alone wanting it to end. It would be another year of stress and expectations he wasn’t even sure he wanted to meet. But now was not the time to speak of this. 

Alice wrinkled her nose. “I still haven't the slightest idea of what I want to do with my life.” She shrugged. “I’ll probably resign myself to the pleasant monotony of the ice cream parlor. Besides, with everything that’s been… happening -- it’s quite scary to think of the future.”

Unable to help himself, Edgar glanced around suspiciously, as if there were Death Eaters hidden in the crowd around them. He inched his face closer to Alice’s and lowered his voice. “It’s very scary. But I think the fear makes me feel more… sure, I suppose, about the future. I know I’ll be fighting.” 

Something big was coming for their world. The Dark Lord was at large, and more people were dying every day. He would be on the right side of it. There needed to be a world to live in if he ever figured out what he would be doing with his life. If he had to fight for it, then he most certainly would. 

His words seemed to make her nervous. Her fingers curled into the fabrics of his dress robes as they slowly spun together. “I suppose… I suppose I’ll fight. If I have to. If that’s what it takes to protect what I love.” She shrugged her shoulders, like they were discussing something more casual, and not actual life-or-death.

Edgar spun her around suddenly, keeping a close eye on their feet to ensure that she wouldn’t stumble. As he pulled her back towards his chest, he mused over her words. “I suppose we’ll all have to fight, when it really comes down to it. I don’t suppose there is much room for bystanders with so many dark wizards running about.”

“It’s like… us, and them. I don’t like it.” She hesitated.

“Nobody likes it.” Edgar said swiftly, “But it’s true. There is an us, and there is a them. The _them’s_ want to kill people, and we don’t. So there’s a clear distinction.” He always got so heated when discussing the current political climate. The recent events had awoken something inside of him, something passionate, and he sometimes had trouble holding it in, especially while speaking to his close friends. 

“What do you suppose will come of all this?”

“Hopefully the end of all of this… supremacist nonsense.”

“Everything will probably work out in the end, right?” Alice murmured. “I mean, it has to?”

Edgar nodded, agreeing with her. He truly did think that good would win out over evil in the end. Still… he wasn’t so naïve to think that there would be no cost. He’d read the papers. People had lost their lives already. That wasn’t going to change anytime soon. “Yeah. It has to.”

At this point, the music began slowing down, and Alice, looking more nervous than she had before their conversation laughed, “It was nice dancing with you, Edgar, but I think I’m going to go and try to find Charity. I’ll see you at school.” She paused, before her eyes lit up, “And if you see Frank…”

Edgar laughed, cutting her off, “I’ll tell him to find you. It was nice dancing with you too. Enjoy your evening, Alice.”

* * *

Edgar drank two more glasses of champagne. He wasn’t getting drunk, per say, but he was getting more talkative, and there was a faint blush beginning to form on his cheeks. He was going for his fourth, when another girl stepped up to him at the table. 

She was quite clearly very beautiful, even if he could not see her face, with angelic blonde hair that cascaded in waves down her back. He also noted that her lips were painted a bright, cherry red. 

“It’s a lovely thing they’re doing, wouldn’t you say?” She turned to him, her voice sounding sweet as candy.

He found himself momentarily stunned. Just momentarily, however, because he was Edgar Bones, and even pretty girls wouldn't trip him up. 

“It is.” He tilted his head, smiling slightly. “You know, I reckon I can guess who you are.”

The girl giggled slightly. “I don’t think I have to take off this mask for you to guess who I am, Edgar.” Damn, his mask really wasn’t all that good, was it? “If the extravagance of my dress doesn’t give it away, I think my presence alone ought to, but please, do give me your best guess.”

He knew only one girl who would dress like this and talk like that. 

“You’re looking lovely tonight, Narcissa. You’re right, I ought to have known from the moment I laid eyes on you. You’re the best dressed girl in the room, you know.” He was flirting a little bit, but that was also how he talked to most girls. 

His father wouldn’t like him talking to Narcissa. He and Cygnus Black were old enemies from their school days, and Edgar himself didn’t much like her older sister Bellatrix. Andromeda and Narcissa weren’t all that bad, at least in his experience. Amelia sometimes would row with Narcissa, but those were just schoolgirl squabbles. Nothing of actual substance.

Narcissa smiled, and lifted a hand to her mouth to cover it. “You do know how to make a girl blush, don’t you? Thank you, Edgar.”

“How has your evening been so far? Good, I hope?”

“You look very dashing yourself. But as for my evening, I must say it’s been very lovely. I never mind being the center of attention, and I have gotten quite a bit of that. Would you care to grab a drink for me? I’m running low. I’m afraid this champagne only lasts so long.”

“Are you drinking while underage? How scandalous.” Edgar grinned. “It would be my honor to assist you. I was going to grab another for myself, actually.” 

He reached over the table and plucked two chutes, and handed one to her gingerly. She looped her arm through his, and batted her eyes up at him. He was beginning to get the feeling that she was flirting back. 

“So,” He began, tapping his glass against hers, “I must know. What is your opinion of the Hobgoblins?”

“Quite the question. I enjoyed their performance. I’ve been a fan of theirs for quite awhile, but don’t tell my mother about that. She insists I only listen to her boring classics. -- Now, let’s drink.” 

They looked each other in the eye as they sipped down their glasses until they were both empty. He found himself grinning at her widely, and hoped he didn’t look like much of an idiot.

Narcissa set her glass down and reached for Edgar’s, doing the same. “Enough of this. Edgar Bones, are you going to ask me to dance, or must I do all of the work myself?”

He smiled wider. She wanted to dance with him? How positively scandalous. He mustered up every bit of gallantry that he possessed. “My sincere apologies. How rude of me to keep a lady waiting. May I have this dance?”

“It would be my pleasure.” Her voice was soft, and he felt a stir inside as he registered it. 

He took her by the hand, marveling of the softness of her skin, and led her onto the dance floor. It was just their luck that a somewhat slow song was beginning to play. He’d always thought of Narcissa as beautiful. Any bloke with a brain would. But there was something different about her energy tonight, and his too, something that hadn’t been there anytime they’d spoken before. Perhaps it was the masks? Or maybe the alcohol. 

“I know I’ve said this once already.” He murmured, placing a hand on her waist, “But you do look very lovely tonight.”

“Thank you, Edgar.” Narcissa flashed a bright smile up towards his face and then winked, “I never do get tired of hearing that.”

They danced for three whole songs, one slow and two fast, and Edgar took great care to utilize every dancing lesson his mother forced him through. By the end of it, they were both red-faced and a little out of breath. 

Narcissa laughed loudly, “My goodness, dear Edgar, you most certainly know how to dance.” She stepped back from him and flattened the front of her dress with her hands. Then, to his delight, she dipped into a curtsy. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Mr. Bones.” She seemed to be struggling to meet his eyes. “If you’ll excuse me, however, I’m sure that my mother and a photographer are somewhere wanting me.”

“You enjoy your evening too,” Edgar said, his eyes shining. 

Narcissa began to turn, but then she paused. She glanced towards him, “I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts.”

“I look forward to seeing you as well.” And with that, she was gone, disappearing into a sea of people. He stood on the dance floor a moment longer, looking rather stunned. _What an evening so far._ The moment passed, however, and he regained his senses. Best be off now. He should probably start looking for that sister of his.

* * *

It took a long time for Edgar to track down Amelia. In the time between, he drank two more glasses of champagne (he was certainly drunk by now), danced ferociously to the Hobgoblins with Gideon Prewett, and cracked jokes with Emma Vanity by the food table. 

He moved through the crowd red faced, clothes a little askew, slightly out of breath, but most certainly having a good time when he heard Amelia’s voice calling to him. 

“Eddie! I was looking all over for you. Where did you disappear off to? Honestly, I turned around for a second and then it was as if you had apparated to Scotland -- wait.” She approached him, her voice growing louder with each step, and when she was in front of him, she reached out to adjust his tie. “There-- your tie was crooked.”

“Little sister,” He said happily, “I was looking all over for you too. I was talking to…” he began counting names off of his fingers, “…Alice, Mary, Emma, Narcissa, Gideon… some other people, too.”

“You were looking for me? I was looking for _you._ And I was doing it first” Amelia replied matter-of-factly, crossing her arms in mock anger.

“I was born first, which means I had to have looked for you first at some point in our lives. I just paused then and resumed today, which still means I was looking for _you_ , _first.”_ Edgar was quick to mimic the crossing of her arms, doing the exact same with his own.

He and Amelia were always like this, trying to be right and win out in a conversation. All for fun and games, of course. “Anyway, where have you been?”

“Erm-- well, I sorta.. hung around. The Undersecretary’s son is a terrible dancer, by the way.” She shook her head, before eyeing him carefully, “I hope you haven’t been trying to chat up the ladies with a messed up tie.”

“I’ll have you know that the ladies loved the look of my messed up tie. It makes me look rather rugged, don’t you think?”

“It makes you look like a prat with a messed up tie, big brother.” Amelia retorted with a laugh, “But I’m sure the ladies didn’t mind.

“You think so?” Edgar repeated, though there was a clear sound of amusement in his voice.

“Oh, I know so-- _Edgar!_ ” 

Amelia was never able to finish her statement, for at that exact moment, a burst of purple light smashed into the ground between them, missing them both by the skin of their teeth. 

“Amelia!” Edgar screamed back 

He lifted his head to make eye contact with his sister. Fear burst through his thoughts like a siren, and he could feel his heart rate beginning to quicken.

A battle had broken out.


	2. The Battle of Halton Manor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story takes place in an alternate universe. Many of the characters are aged up and down, as to have them all in Hogwarts at the same time. I know that Bellatrix did not attend school with James and Sirius, but in this story she does. I hope to achieve a good balance of foreshadowing and unreliable narrating. I hope you all enjoy, and any reviews, comments, or suggestions would be much appreciated.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, and my take on Edgar Bones. 
> 
> The second chapter will be from the point of view of Amelia Bones. She is Edgar's little sister, and is a 6th year Ravenclaw.

**AMELIA BONES I**

_August 30th, 1977_

_Late Evening_

_Halton Manor, London_

* * *

No, no, no, no, no. No! 

This had to be some sort of joke or skit. This was a _charity event for_ Dragonpox. There wasn’t supposed to be any fighting. Not here! What if people ended up hurt? 

Amelia looked to Edgar in fright, reaching out to grip his sleeve. They needed to get out of here. 

The entire ballroom had descended into chaos, and more and more jets of light flew out to join the frey. She could see wizards wearing masks across the room, firing off curses. Some people were running past her in all directions, others had jumped into the fight. She shoved her hand into her purse, fishing around in search of her wand. She thought of her parents out there -- hopefully together -- they were probably worried sick. At least she was with Edgar. They could run away together and--

Edgar grabbed her arm tightly, and her attention was drawn to him. 

He looked… scared. That wasn’t a sight she often saw on her big brother’s face. 

“I’m going to go and help! You need to go and find Mum!”

“Wait, what _?”_ Amelia’s grip on her wand tightened, and her brows knitted together in anger as she processed what he was saying, “You think I’m just going to let you stay here and let you get yourself hurt? Or worse _?”_ Did he honestly expect her to just leave him alone? 

Edgar held on ever more tightly to her arm, “Amelia, listen to me!” He looked around anxiously, “I need you to go away! Now!”

“I’m not leaving here without you, Edgar!” She said stubbornly. 

People were continuing to rush all around in a panic, and a large man shouldered Edgar in his haste to escape. Her brother stumbled into her and for a second she worried that he would topple over onto her, but he regained his balance. He looked at her again, “Amelia, I’ve got to go and help! People are getting hurt!”

“I am _NOT_ leaving here without you, Edgar!” She repeated, yelling over all of the noise around them. In a fit of anger, she grabbed for his collar. Her fingers twisted into the material and pulled him down so he could hear her better, “Listen to me, you are going to get killed if you run out there. You don’t have to _go_ and be the hero and stop the fight. That’s what the aurors are here for! Think realistically, Eddie -- you can’t stop this fight on your own, so come with me to find mum and dad!”

Edgar didn’t seem to be listening to her at all.

He pulled back against her hold on his collar, “I’m not trying to stop the fight on my own,” He said through gritted teeth. He looked frustrated with her, but she didn’t care, “The aurors need all of the help they can get.” 

“ _Yes_ , the aurors need help! But not the help of a drunk seventeen year old!” There was mayhem all about, and Amelia just wanted to _go!_ She was not going to let her brother go off and be killed just so he could get off on being a hero! That’s what the aurors were for, for Merlin’s sake! He needed to let the people with _actual experience_ do their jobs, not pretend he could save the world himself.

Edgar yanked her wrist away from his collar roughly, giving her a stricken look. He looked like he was about to give in to her pleading, but then a red dash of light flew between them, slicing Edgar right across the cheek. 

Her stupid, noble, idiot of a brother spun around so that he was in between her and the direction the spell had come from. She watched in horror as the blood slowly dripped from his face, staining the tips of his dragonhide shoes that he loved so much. He cast a stunning spell off into the crowd, but Amelia wasn’t so sure that he hit his target.

“Amelia!” He shouted again, pointing his wand out into the crowd and firing off another stunning spell. “Please, just go!”

“ _Go?_ You want me to leave you?! _Now?_ Edgar -- you’re hurt! We have to get you to a healer or something, come on!”

“I’m _FINE_ , Amelia! Go!” Edgar roared, turning to look at her in anger. 

Amelia stared at him, before coming to a decision in a split second. “Incarcerous!” She said suddenly, and a thin rope emerged from her wand to wrap itself around both her and Edgar’s wrists, tying them together. “We have to go.” She said seriously, tugging on the rope. 

Edgar looked down at the rope, and then up and all around them, before finally turning his head to look at her. Something seemed to soften in his eyes and Amelia knew immediately that she had won this time. He nodded, and then motioned his head to the left. “Ready?!” He shouted over the noise,

“Yes!” She said urgently! Honestly, they could have escaped by now if he hadn’t been so stubborn!

Time moved slowly as they ran through the ballroom. 

The crowd was beginning to thin, and from what Amelia could tell, the aurors looked like they were beginning to regain control of the situation. The sight of it all was still so jarring. Just minutes ago, the only sense of aggression in the room was perhaps a passive aggressive comment about somebody’s dress. Her only objective was getting herself and her brother to safety. She hoped that nobody she knew had been hurt, but right now she couldn’t think about that. 

Edgar, now that he had stopped being stupid, was being very useful at the moment. He was shouldering everyone out of the way so that Amelia could run through the crowd smoothly. He also seemed to have a good idea of where the exits are, so she ran just behind him dutifully, confident in him now that he wasn’t going off to get himself killed. 

They burst through a side door and were greeted by the warm, summer air. They kept running and didn’t stop until they saw someone official looking. Aurors were sprinting up the steps just passed them, so they figured this would be a good place to stop. 

Before she could catch her breath, Edgar had whirled around to face her, “Are you okay?” He asked, sounding a little breathless. 

At her brother’s inquiry, Amelia looked up. They were okay. She didn’t even care that they had been at each other’s throats just a few minutes ago or that it had taken her tying them together to get him to listen to reason. He looked exhausted and terrified, and so was she for the matter, and she just wanted to hug her big brother. So she did.

“You stupid, brave, stupid _,_ idiot.” She said, gasping into the fabric of his dress robes. 

“Wait-- Amelia,” Edgar hissed, pulling away, “You’re hurting my wrists-- can you take the ropes off?”

“Oh, yea.” She said quickly, pulling back. She put her wand against the ropes and muttered the incantation for a Vanishing Charm. The ropes untied themselves and then fizzled off into nothingness. With nothing in her way now, Amelia threw herself at Edgar again, and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

Edgar returned the hug, and she felt him press a kiss to the top of her forehead. “You’re okay.” They pulled apart, but Edgar reached for her hand and she happily took it. 

Very suddenly, Edgar laughed nervously, “I think I see Mum.” 

Amelia whirled around on the spot, “Where?!” 

Edgar pointed with his free hand to a spot about twenty meters away. “Is that her? It looks like her dress. Who is she talking to?”

Amelia hardly paid any mind to her brother’s questions, and took off in the direction of her mother. She knew that was her. That was her mother’s dress alright, and Amelia would know, since she had helped her mother get ready. And she didn’t care who her mother was talking to. All she wanted was to be in the comfort of her parents. She looked around worriedly. She didn’t see her dad around anywhere, but he was most likely still involved inside. He _was_ the head Auror after all. 

“Mum!” She shouted when she was close enough to be heard. 

For a second, she worried that her mother hadn’t heard her. Or worse, that she had been mistaken and was now running like a mad woman at some random stranger. But then the figure turned, and Amelia met the gaze of her mother.

Adeline Bones gasped, looking at Amelia and then at Edgar just a step behind her, “My babies!” She cried, rushing forward. She reached Amelia first, and yanked her into a warm, tight hug. 

Amelia closed her eyes, holding on to her Mum like her life was on the line.

“Mum!” She cried, “Are you alright? Where’s Dad?!”

“Shh,” Her mother said soothingly, before extending a hand towards Edgar. “Come here, you.” 

Edgar joined the hug and for a moment, it was just the three of them standing together, taking solace in the fact that they were all okay. 

Amelia could have stayed there for a good bit longer, but Edgar didn’t look like he could handle much more waiting, and he pulled back quickly.

“What happened, Mum? Who was that? Was it You-Know-Who?” His voice sounded desperate, urgent. 

Amelia thought it was silly for him to be asking the questions. _Obviously_ , their mum wasn’t going to tell him. It was Ministry business, and he was still a student in Hogwarts, despite whatever visions of grandeur he had for himself.

“I don’t have any answers right now, Edgar.” His mother said carefully, her arms still wrapped around Amelia. Amelia didn’t feel in any sort of hurry to move. She felt safe, and that was comforting after the ordeal she’d just gone through. “And even if I did, I most likely wouldn’t be able to tell you.”

Edgar didn’t seem to like that answer, but he was smart enough not to push it. _For once_ , she thought.

Amelia looked back up to her mother. “Do you know where Dad is?” She pressed again, wanting to know the whereabouts of their father.

Mum’s smile grew tight, and she shook her head, “Not yet, sweetheart, but I’m sure he’s just fine. Your father’s tough.”

Amelia knew she was right. Their father was strong. But what if he wasn’t alright? What if he was hurt? Or worse? She knew this wasn’t the right way to be thinking right now, but she couldn’t help it! She wished that she could be older, and well the way into her career at the Ministry. Then she’d be able to have answers of her own, rather than just waiting. 

“How long until we know if Dad is alright?” Edgar demanded. 

Mum untangled herself from Amelia, and beckoned for them both to follow her. “I don’t know.” She admitted honestly. “I’m going to bring you somewhere safe to wait while I go inside to investigate. We;re waiting to hear if the fighting has finished before we step inside.”

“It looked nearly done when we made it out.” Edgar said, shooting a glance at Amelia. 

“That’s good, then.” Mum murmured, slowing to a halt next to a few aurors. She turned to face her children, looking to Edgar first. “Come here, my son.” She said gently, “Let me fix that cut on your face.” 

Amelia took a look at the mark on Edgar’s face. It wasn’t bleeding as much anymore, which allowed her to look at it more clearly. She was relieved to see that it wasn’t all that deep. Just a surface level cut. She shook her head at her brother. He was so reckless sometimes. He really could have gotten hurt a lot worse than this. The fool.

Mum made quick work of the cut, leaving only a bit of dried blood behind to signify that there had ever been a wound there in the first place. “You two stay here.” She said, pointing a finger at the both of them. Personally, Amelia thought the finger should just be pointed at Edgar. He was the stupid one around here, not her. “Dawlish,” Mum said, turning to a blonde-haired wizard with a cigarette in his mouth.

He jumped to attention, as most would when faced with the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. “Ma’am.” 

“I’ve got to go and see what else I can find out. I need you to watch my children here. Keep them safe, understood?” Mum sounded quite intimidating. Of course, she was good at that when she wanted to be. 

Dawlish looked at Amelia, and then at Edgar. His smile dipped slightly, no doubt because he had been put on babysitting duty, but he didn’t dare say anything in protest. He just nodded to Adeline, and then replied with a firm, “Of course, ma’am. They’re safe with me.”

Adeline gave both of her children another brief hug before disappearing back into the chaos. Dawlish didn’t seem inclined to entertain Edgar or Amelia, and instead took a few steps back to the other aurors he’d been chatting with. 

That was quite alright with Amelia. She didn’t really feel like talking all that much. She was still worried about her father. She wouldn’t feel normal until she saw his face, standing proud and tall above all of the rest. 

“I want to know what’s going on.” Edgar said, sounding frustrated.

“Nobody knows what’s going on right now, Edgar.” Amelia responded perfectly reasonably. Honestly, it had only been about ten minutes since they’d even made it out. He was silly for thinking he even deserved answers, let alone so soon after the attack had happened. 

“Well somebody’s got to!” Edgar snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. “There was an attack at a Ministry event. Somebody has to know something _.”_

He was acting completely childishly, but Amelia chose to forgive it considering the circumstances. 

“You’re just going to have to be patient, Eddie.” She murmured, wrapping her arms around herself. It wasn’t cold outside, but for some reason she felt a bit chilly.

“Hmph.” Edgar grunted. He blinked suddenly, and then turned around the group of aurors behind them. “Er, Dawlish, wasn’t it?”

The blonde haired wizard named Dawlish turned at the sound of his name, “Yep.” He flicked his cigarette, sending ash floating down to the floor. 

“Do you know what’s going on?” Edgar asked plainly.

Dawlish regarded him carefully for a moment, before chuckling a little. “I got no idea, kid. I’m waiting for orders the same as everybody else.”

Edgar seemed to bristle at being referred to as kid. He’d been touchy about things like that ever since he had turned seventeen, as if that suddenly and miraculously meant he was _an_ adult _._

“Surely, you’ve got to know something?” Edgar pressed for details, stepping a bit closer to Dawlish.

“I’m telling you, kid, I don’t know anything. Alls I know is there was an attack, and there is a possibility for some casualties. I expect you might even know more than me, since you were inside when it happened.”

Edgar shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know much, honestly, everything happened so fast. Say, do you have an extra cigarette?”

Dawlish squinted suspiciously. “Are even old enough?”

“I’m of age, so yes.”

* * *

Amelia turned around, moving a few paces away to sit on the ground. She wasn’t like Edgar. She wasn’t brave enough to stay and fight, and she was too scared to pester the people around her for information. She just wanted to know that her dad was alright. If she could just find some way to know that, then she could calm down.

Unfortunately, it didn’t look like there was a way around for her to find this information, so she would have to wait.

The minutes ticked by, and a flurry of movement occured all around them. 

She could see the Minister’s wife be escorted out, along with some ball-goers who had hidden somewhere amongst the chaos whenever the attack began.

Aurors and hitwizards continued to rush to the scene, and a lot of very important people looked to be having very important conversations all around her. If it weren’t for her worry, she might have been interested in all of this, however, as it was, she could only think about her father. 

After an hour had passed, Edgar moved to sit next to her. He seemed to notice how worried she looked, and he bumped his shoulder into hers. “If Dad was hurt, we would have heard something by now. He’s the Head Auror, after all.”

His words were all perfectly rational, but Amelia found it hard to really believe them. “I’m scared, Eddie. What if he is hurt?”

“Aw c’mon, Mia, you know Dad is stronger than that. Some offhand attack wouldn’t be enough to get him.” 

Amelia knew he was right. She knew her Dad was made of strong stuff. He had gone on dangerous missions for all of her life, and had always returned in one piece. But what if this time was different? What if this would be the time she had to say goodbye? It was one thing for him to go off somewhere to hunt Dark Wizards, but it was an entirely different thing to see the violence herself. Was every mission that he went on so scary? The screams of the terrified attendants still rang loudly in her ears. 

“I know, but--” Amelia wasn’t able to finish her sentence, for her attention had been redirected towards the large, front doors of the manor, which were now beginning to open.

She saw her mum walk out, looking far more weary than she had last Amelia saw her. Coming out from behind her were a few aurors. They were walking backwards, with their arms and wands held out aloft before them. She understood why a few seconds later. There were three figures, wrapped in some sort of fabric that Amelia couldn’t make out. She realized immediately what they were: casualties. 

She blinked. People had… died _._ People had really, and truly been murdered in the very same room that she had been standing in. How could this have happened, how could people do something like this?

The horror of it all was enough to bring tears into her eyes, but she was distracted once more by the figure that walked behind the floating bodies. Her dad! 

Edward Bones rubbed at his eyes and it took everything in Amelia’s power not to bolt in his direction.

Edgar stirred beside her and put out his cigarette, most likely having noticed their father’s safety as she had. 

“Look, he’s coming over here!” She squeaked when she saw her father turn and walk in their direction. 

“Amelia, Edgar, I’m so glad you’re okay.” He said, his voice almost gushing with relief as he pulled the both of them towards him into two, simultaneous one armed hugs.

“Dad!” She cried, burying her face into his chest. “I was so worried about you!”

“I’m alright,” He said soothingly, patting her on the back.

She could feel Edgar pull away next to her, and she found herself rolling her eyes against her Dad. Good thing Edgar couldn’t see her or he might try to start a row about it. _Here we go again._ Couldn’t he just leave it alone for now?

“What happened, Dad?” Edgar said predictably, before firing off a round of questions. “Who attacked? Do you know if it was planned? Who was hurt? Was it anybody I know? Do you have any suspects? Or leads?”

From behind them, the auror Dawlish snorted, having received a similar line of questioning from Edgar.

Dad seemed shocked by the flow of words, but he handled it gracefully. “We don’t know much right now, Edgar.” 

That didn’t seem to be enough for her brother. “But what _do_ you know?” He pressed. “There were three floating bodies. Do you know who they were? Do you know anything about them?”

“I’m not at liberty to say, son.” 

“Well, what are you at liberty to say?” 

Dad’s lips pressed together into a thin line, and sensing trouble, Amelia jumped in. “Just leave it alone for right now, Edgar. Can’t all of these questions wait until tomorrow?”

Edgar turned to face her with an annoyed look, “What’s wrong with wanting answers, Amelia?”

Amelia met his look of annoyance head on with one of her own. “What’s wrong with waiting for the appropriate time to ask _,_ Edgar?”

Ha. Take that, you big dummy.

His face twisted into even more annoyance, and he turned so he could get a better look at her. Just as he was opening his mouth to say something stupid, no doubt, her father cut the both of them off.

“Enough of that, you two.” His voice was sharp and commanding, and Amelia immediately snapped her mouth shut. Edgar did the same, though he was bold enough to send a few more scathing looks at her for daring to speak out against him. “We don’t have answers right now.” He said, “And even if we did, Edgar, I would not be divulging them to you. This is important Ministry business, and seeing as you’re only a student, this is a bit above your pay grade.”

Dad, who still had Amelia wrapped around him, dropped his hands to gently pull her arms off from around her. “I’m sorry to be sharp with you, son, but this is a delicate situation, and you two have been here long enough. Mum is going to head back home with you. I won’t be too far behind, alright?”

Edgar frowned. “But, Dad, when can I find out what happened?”

“I’m sure the Prophet will have a report on it bright and early in the morning. I’d be sure to check that out if I were you.”

Her brother’s jaw clenched. He didn’t seem to like that idea all that much. However, he seemed to be smart enough not to push the issue further. Good on him. She didn’t think her Dad deserved to be battered with his questions, not after the night he’d had. And frankly, she didn’t deserve to listen to them either.

She felt a hand on her elbow, and she turned around to see who would touch her. It was her Mum, who pulled her in for another hug. Amelia held on just as tightly as she had before, and let go when Mum moved to do the same with Edgar. 

Edgar didn’t assault Mum with the same wall of questions, but she was sure he wouldn’t be able to hold off for too much longer. Amelia didn’t mind that so much, as long as he didn’t do it right now, while they were standing in the literal vicinity of a few dead bodies.

“Come on, babies.” Their mother cooed, as she ran a hand through Edgar’s hair. 

Neither one of them protested as their mother led them back inside the manor. She didn’t bring them back into the ballroom, for which Amelia was glad. Instead, she steered them back towards the floo-entrance area.

“Edgar, you go first.” Mum ordered, reaching for a small pot of floo-powder and offering it out towards her son. 

Edgar reached inside of the pot, tossed the powder into the fireplace, and then stepped into the middle of the green flames. They contrasted nicely with his grey robes. He called out the name of their home, and disappeared with a flash. 

“You next, my girl.” Mum held out the pot towards Amelia now, who repeated the same process as her brother had before her.

She spun through the fireplace, seeing the face of her mother one moment, and then the face of her brother a few seconds later. She stepped out, dusting the soot off of her dress. Edgar was leaning against their dining table, looking just as annoyed as he had a minute before.

“Are you still mad, Eddie?” She asked a little exasperatedly, “Dad said the Prophet would have information in the morning.”

Edgar shrugged his shoulders, “I want answers, Amelia, real ones. And I know I’m not the only one. I just want to know who did it. Was it Voldemort? Was it something else? What’s wrong with wanting to know basic answers, Amelia?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. So just wait until the Prophet comes out for your basic answers.”

He frowned, shaking his head. “You just don’t understand, Amelia.” 

At this moment, the fire roared green in their fireplace again, and Mum stepped from the flames. She dusted the soot from her dress just as Amelia had done when she had walked in.

“What are you two talking about?” Mum asked suspiciously, picking up on the tense atmosphere between the two of them.

“Nothing.” Edgar said through clenched teeth. He smiled thinly at Mum, “I’m going to bed.”And then he turned around and stomped off towards the stairs, acting every bit like a petulant child. 

Mum faced her with a questioning look. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Same thing as before, only he’s more peeved. He wants answers. He buggered Dad about it too.”

Adeline nodded in awareness. She, like Amelia, knew enough about Edgar to know that lined up perfectly with his personality. Her brother meant well, but he seemed to think that he was a lot more important than he truly was. 

“Well, he’s just going to have to get over that.” Adeline Bones said in a no-nonsense kind of way. “Especially now _._ It just happened.”

“I know _!_ ” Amelia exclaimed. Her brother sometimes acted like he had the security clearance of a top-tier Ministry employee. He’d been acting that way all summer.

“It’s probably his way of dealing with it. He likes to feel in control, just like I do.” Mum said, moving towards their kitchen. Amelia followed along right behind her. 

“I know that, I just wish he wouldn’t have been so crabby about it.” Amelia lamented. She hopped up onto one of the bar stools next to the counter.

“Yes, well, don’t be too hard on him. He’s being silly, but he’ll come around.”

Mum headed straight to the liquor cabinet, tapping it with her wand so that it unlocked in front of her. She pulled out a small, clear jar that Amelia couldn’t read the name of, and then moved to the counter. She poured a small amount into a glass and then tossed the drink down her throat in one swift movement.

“Sorry,” Mum said, laughing a bit at the surprised look on Amelia’s face. “But I feel like I deserve it after tonight.”

“No, I agree,” Amelia said, beginning to laugh a little as well. “I was just surprised about how quickly you did it.” 

Mum moved to the sink and set the glass inside, and then walked back over to the counter. She picked the liquor bottle up with one hand, using her other to screw the lid back on. “I think I’m going to get ready for bed while I wait for your Dad to get back. Get some rest, okay? Tomorrow is going to be a busy day getting ready for Hogwarts.”

Amelia made a face, “Are you and Dad going to have to work all day tomorrow?” The thought made her a little sad, considering it was their last day before term began. 

Mum settled her bottle back in with the others and gave Amelia a sad look, “I think so, baby. I’m sorry, you know we want to spend this time with you, but after tonight…” 

Mum trailed off, but Amelia waved her hand. “Don’t be sorry, I understand. I’m sure Edgar will too.

Mum smiled, and then tapped her wand against the cabinet. It locked with a small click, and Amelia took it as her signal to get up. She ought to head up to bed herself.

“Goodnight, Mum.” She said, moving to the entryway. Mum waved in her direction, flicking her wand to turn the lights off.

“Goodnight, Mia, sleep well.”

* * *

Amelia headed on up the stairs and into her bedroom. It was dark, so she turned on the oil lamp that she kept in the center of her end table. 

With the room somewhat lit up, Amelia began the arduous process of undressing. It was always much more fun getting ready for balls than it was to wipe all of that hard work away. The shoes were off first, put away neatly into the armoire she kept in the corner of the room. Her dress was next, hung neatly in the closet again so it didn’t get wrinkled in the dirty clothes hamper. Then came the makeup, which took longer than the other two things put together. After twenty minutes of prep work, Amelia Bones was ready for bed.

She climbed into the warmth and comfort of her blankets and pillows, and reached over to turn the oil lamp off. Darkness filled the room and Amela was left alone with the discomfort of her own thoughts. 

For a moment, it seemed like sleep would come quickly. Unfortunately, she should have known that it wouldn’t be so easy. Amelia had difficulty falling asleep on a good day, let alone one as traumatic as this. 

This had been something that had been a problem since she was a small girl. As a child, she had often gone to her parents to remedy this, but she wasn’t a little girl anymore, and she couldn’t go crawling into her parent’s bed every time she had trouble falling asleep. 

Against her will, her thoughts drifted towards the Masquerade Ball. Her family had been lucky that they hadn't been hurt. She tried to focus on the parts she’d found fun: The Hobgoblin’s performance had been everything she wanted it to be, and the dancing hadn’t been all that bad either even with her toes being stepped on.

However, try as she might, she couldn’t get her father’s weary face out of her head, nor could she get the screams of the scared attendants out of her ears. 

She wondered if Edgar was awake. No doubt he was. He was probably thinking of the same things that she was, but his thoughts were probably filled with action and bravery. She was just scared. How was Edgar able to stand up so quickly, when all she could manage was to be terrified by her fear?

She turned her head in the dark, her eyes focusing on her desk in the corner of the room. There was something in that desk that she hadn’t considered tonight. She felt frozen in place for a second and her breathing grew more harsh. _The letter._

Over the past summer, Amelia had taken to shadowing her mother at the Ministry. It was part of her duties as the Junior Youth Representative -- a position she had worked very hard for, mind you -- to oversee the inner workings of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement. She had been so in her element while at work. 

It had confirmed that she truly knew her calling, aiding ordinary witches and wizards with their legal trouble. 

Just a month ago, back in July, Amelia had been at the Ministry. It was an awfully humid day, and somehow the heat seeped down even into the bowels of the Ministry. She was at her mother’s desk, sorting through an almost impressively tall stack of paperwork regarding a few teenagers in Dublin that had attempted to transfigure sickles into galleons. An obviously stupid idea, in her opinion. If it was so easy for teenagers to do it, then wouldn’t everyone?

When she reached the bottom of the stack, she found an odd looking note, different looking from all of the other official documents. It was a threatening note, she had realized to her horror. It was meant for her mother’s eyes, and it spoke of how Adeline and Edward Bones’ politics had drawn a target on their backs. They had an outspoken view on blood supremacy, and whoever had written the letter didn’t like it. 

_Blood traitors like you and yours will be among the first to go,_ it had said. 

Scared over what this letter meant, Amelia had immediately brought it to her mother. Mum had laughed it off, and told Amelia that one must never give into bullies, but she had seen something flicker in her mother’s eyes. She looked scared too.

Mum had unceremoniously tossed the letter into the rubbish bin, but Amelia hadn’t been able to get it off of her mind. She had fished it out as soon as she found herself alone in the office again, and had taken it home to further investigate it. She’d run a few spells, hoping to trace wherever it had come from, but whoever had written it had been too clever for that. 

She tried to push it from her mind, so much so that she hadn’t even told her father or Edgar about it. 

But now after the attack… she was wondering if that had been the right choice? Should she have shown it to her father? Would it have prevented anything? She couldn’t answer that. 

Amelia closed her eyes tightly. She was worried about what was to come. Perhaps she was just being dramatic, but what if this war affected the people she cared about?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read this, I want to say thank you. Feel free to leave a review :) Next chapter: Savannah Wilkinson


	3. Savannah, Georgia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story takes place in an alternate universe. Many of the characters are aged up and down, as to have them all in Hogwarts at the same time. I know that Bellatrix did not attend school with James and Sirius, but in this story she does. I hope to achieve a good balance of foreshadowing and unreliable narrating. I hope you all enjoy, and any reviews, comments, or suggestions would be much appreciated.
> 
> This is the introduction of Beau and Savannah Wilkinson, who are from America. Beau is going into his sixth year, and Savannah into her seventh. I know it can be a bit dicey introducing Original Characters, especially so soon into the story, but I promise they have a place in the plot. I won't focus too much on them at the beginning, but it's important that they be introduced now.

**SAVANNAH WILKINSON I**

_August 31st, 1977_

_Early Morning_

_The Wilkinson Estate, Georgia_

* * *

The morning sunshine filtered into the room through the curtains covering Savannah’s window, waking her up on the very last day of summer vacation. She blinked a few times to give her eyes a moment to adjust. 

Savannah Wilkinson normally embraced the morning, viewing it as the first opportunity to ensure one had a good day. She was an early riser. 

There was something special about waking up to get ready for school. She would wake up and jump out of bed, ensuring that her trunk was neatly packed with everything she could possibly need for an entire school term. Then she would rush downstairs, kiss her father on the cheek and help her mother with breakfast. After all, she would be leaving the next day and it would be months before she would see them. She would smile and laugh with her little brother.

Unfortunately, today was not like those days. Savannah didn’t feel all that excited to wake up. She had school tomorrow, yes. But not just any school, a _new_ school. 

For the past six years, Savannah had attended Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as had every member of her family before her, and her little brother after her. Not to sound too complimentary of herself, but Savannah came from a historical and important American family. 

Her father, Sawyer, came from a family whose history traced back to Charity Wilkinson, one of the original twelve aurors that founded the nation, and the third President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America. The Wilkinson name was known by every witch and wizard in America, and it carried a weighty reputation in itself. Politics were a family affair, and one Sawyer had taken to eagerly. Her mother was called Ruby Picquery then, and her family was new to politics in comparison, but they boasted a recent President in Seraphina Picquery. Sawyer and Ruby’s union was a match made on the Congress floor and the power couple took the American political arena. Outspoken and influential, it wasn’t unusual to see their family name in the papers,

Savannah was proud of who her family was, on both sides. 

She intended to continue on their legacy by going into politics herself. She aspired to be the President one day, just like her great Aunt Seraphina. She thought about it often, being the first Wilkinson to sit in the presidential chair in more than a century. She had wanted this for as long as she could remember, and she had worked her fanny off all through school to achieve this goal. She had been a member of her school’s student government since her first year! 

She’d started out small and was first elected into the Student Council as a first year representative for Horned Snake. She continued on as their second year representative the following year. She’d only held officer positions after that. Secretary as a third year, Treasurer during her fourth year, Vice President during her fifth, and President during her sixth. She’d been re-elected at the end of last year and was supposed to continue on to her second term for her seventh year. Only, she wouldn’t be able to. Now that she was transferring to Hogwarts, there would be all sorts of things she wouldn’t be able to do anymore.

Her hopes and dreams? Dashed. There hadn’t been a President in _history_ who hadn’t completed all of their magical education at Ilvermorny. 

Like anyone who paid even the slightest bit of attention, Savannah Wilkinson had heard of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was one of the more famous magical academies in the western world, having been established long before the Statute of Secrecy had ever been dreamed of. She didn’t doubt that it was a good school, but she didn’t want to go there. 

She had thrived in school for years.

She’d made friends with the best of the students. The wise, the kind, the ambitious. She was popular among her peers, who knew her family’s history, but also was considered her to be a considerate friend. She had positioned herself well for her future. She was the school’s golden girl, friends with everyone, prepared to head to the Congress floor upon graduation. The world was waiting for her, and she was ready to embrace it. 

That was, until when her parents dropped the news like a Quod that hadn’t quite made it to the pot on time. 

Savannah and her brother would not be going back to Ilvermorny that year. _Some sort of threats, nothing to worry about, we’re just playing it safe._ Her parents’ words would play on a loop in her mind for days as she tried to reconcile the end of her career before it had begun. 

Finishing up her schooling at Hogwarts would be detrimental to her future presidential campaign. 

She had said this much to her parents, but it did little to change their mind. She had gone to her Aunt Seraphina in a last resort attempt to recruit her in her effort to push back against her parents’ wishes for the first time in her life. However, the old woman merely shook her head, patted Savannah’s hand, and then declined to help her. This led Savannah to believe that the situation was worse than she had originally believed. 

It had to have been dire for her parents to even decide to send them away, but if _Aunt Seraphina_ agreed, then it had to be a lot worse than they had made it out to seem.

So, she had relented, but that didn’t mean that she was happy about it.

Savannah sat up in her bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table just in time to see the minute hand tick at 7:01. 

Huh, this was a bit early, even for her. Breakfast wouldn’t even be ready for another hour. Still, she was awake, even if it was early, so she pushed herself out of bed, and slipped her foot into the slippers she kept at the ready for her to use in the morning. 

She crossed the room, moving towards the window across from her bed. It was hot, the room warmed from exposure to a Georgian summer heat. The Wilkinsons lived on a fair bit of land, in a traditional Southern style estate. It had been in their family for ages.

Savannah thought the view from her window was beautiful. Large, sloping hills leading off into the edge of a vast expanse of trees. If she woke up early enough, she sometimes could see deer running through the fields. 

She was a bit too late for that now, unfortunately. 

The sun didn’t rise on her side, for she faced the west, but come sunset, the view was spectacular. Sometimes, when she watched the sunset, she had one of those special moments of peace. The kind where you looked at something beautiful, and everything just fell away for a little bit. 

Savannah sighed, turning away from the window. She took in the sight of her room. It was neat looking. _Too neat looking_ , since she had packed away everything important. She glanced to her trunk, which sat perched near her door, with the rest of her items. Inside weren’t the typical blue robes with cranberry trim. Instead, they were an uncomfortable, thick set of wool robes. Black, as well, though she was told that the trim would be changed after she was sorted into her new house.

Savannah didn’t want a new house _._ She wanted to stay in Horned Serpent. 

She didn’t want any of this. 

She closed her eyes tightly, and brought her fists up to rub against them. _Okay, Savannah, it’s time for you to buck up. Sitting around pityin’ yourself isn’t gonna do you a lick of good._ She glanced around. She needed something to do. She was always a bit happier when her mind was occupied. Almost methodically, she moved towards the door that led to her bathroom. A shower. That was a good first step for what felt like the worst day of her life _._

She did this while trying her hardest not to think about the International Portkey waiting for her family in the early afternoon. 

Savannah wrapped a towel around herself when she got out, briefly thinking that she was glad for the heat so she didn’t have to be cold after her shower. She took her time getting dressed, making each part of her outfit a deliberate choice. She felt anxious, and strange. Unready to face the day, in a way. This was most unlike her, and she didn’t like how it felt. 

* * *

When she was dressed and presentable, she heard a door open and shut from somewhere in the house. From the sounds of it, it was her parent’s bedroom. Before leaving the safety of her room, Savannah faced herself in the mirror, giving herself a good, long look in the eyes. She needed to rally and to put on a brave face. Her parents weren’t happy about this either, but she understood that their hands were tied. 

They didn’t need her anger. They were getting enough of that from her brother as it were. So was she, as a matter of fact. As much as it pained her, she needed to smile. 

When she finished her self pep talk, she emerged from her room, shutting the door quietly behind her. She moved down the hall towards the stairs, and went down them quickly. As she moved towards closer to the kitchen, the sounds of her mother and father’s voices grew louder and louder. Ah, so they were _both_ awake. That was good. 

When she pushed open the swinging door that separated the kitchen from the long hallway outside, her parents stopped talking, momentarily startled by someone entering the room. When they realized it was only Savannah, they both visibly relaxed and smiled in her direction. 

“Good morning, sweetheart.” Her father said. 

He was sitting at the rounded table next to the window, with the newspaper folded and unread before him. 

“Morning, Daddy.” Savannah said, crossing over to peck her father on his cheek. 

His smile was more thin than normal, but she supposed it was because he was sending her across the world today. She took a seat next to him, and looked over to her mother. The coffee wasn’t even ready yet, so they must have just gotten up too. “Morning, Mama.”

“Good morning, darling.” Ruby Wilkinson said, yawning throughout the sentence. 

She put a hand over her mouth, and then flicked her wand towards the jar with the coffee beans. The lid opened on its own, and the beans promptly floated out a moment later. Mama flicked her wand again, and several cooking utensils rose up from their drawers, zipping over to handle the coffee. 

With that out of the way, her mother leaned against the counter, looking to Savannah. “How are you feeling?”

Savannah smiled, “I’m alright, don’t worry. A little sad, but that can’t be helped.” She tried her best to look convincing.

She looked for any signs of suspicion from her mother and father, but if they noticed her faltering, they didn’t show it. 

“Well, I’m _very_ sad.” Her mother said, sounding almost sullen for a second. She turned away, lured by the absence of noise from utensils. She flicked her wand at the now grinded coffee dust, and it lifted itself into the air and headed on over to the coffee pot. She looked back to Savannah, and smiled, “I can’t believe you’re going to Scotland tomorrow.”

Savannah couldn’t believe it either, and she didn’t very much feel like talking about it, lest she ruin her happy façade. She decided to change the subject instead. 

“What are we having for breakfast?” She asked, looking from her mother to her father. Cooking was a joint affair in the Wilkinson household, and both Ruby and Sawyer pulled their weight. 

Her parents exchanged a glance, and then her father spoke up. “What do you feel like having?” He asked, looking towards her. 

Savannah thought about it for a moment. She wasn’t sure what kind of breakfast they ate over at Hogwarts, but she doubted it was anything like the good southern food that her parents made. 

The wheels began spinning in her head, and she pursed her lips, “Pecan pancakes, definitely.” Those were a specialty of her father’s. She thought of her little brother. Best to make one of his favorites too, so he didn’t end up throwing a fit over it, what with how cranky he’d been lately. “And maybe cheese grits, for Beau. And some scrambled eggs too?” 

Mama laughed, “Going to miss home, are you?” 

Savannah smiled. “You _know_ I’m going to miss home. Anyways, I doubt Hogwarts serves food as good as y’all’s, so I want to get my fill.” 

“Well, that’s no problem.” Mama said assuringly, before turning to the coffee, which was now ready for drinking. The smell of it filled up the room. It was nice.

“Can I help?” Savannah asked

“Thanks, but no thanks, sweetie.” Said her dad, flashing her a smile, “It’s your last first day of school, let us cook for you before you rush off and grow up. Go on and read the newspaper, or something, we’ll handle this for you.” 

Savannah smiled. Well, wasn’t that sweet?

She leaned over and pulled the Newspaper towards her. 

The headlining article of the state news section was about their Quodpot team. They’d beaten Massachusetts in last night's game. She felt sour over not being allowed to return to Ilvermorny so that she could brag to her friends over Georgia’s win. 

Did people at Hogwarts play Quodpot? Quidditch was big over there, she knew, but she didn’t know this from that when it came to the British sport. There was a bit of stuff about school starting again, but Savannah skipped that section, because she knew that school was starting. She didn’t feel like being reminded any further.

At this point, the room was beginning to smell like breakfast. The grits were simmering on the stove, and Mama was adding cheese to them. Daddy had the pancakes flipping themselves while he set about cracking the eggs. She looked up from the paper and smiled at the sight, but the thought of Hogwarts still weighed heavily on her mind. 

Her little brother, Beau, wandered in then, his brown hair wet from a shower. He didn’t look at anyone, and just dropped unceremoniously into his seat.

“Good morning, baby.” Mama said, looking up from the stove. Her voice was warm and kind, but Savannah could see the anxiety in the corners of her eyes. 

Beau was a lot of things, and a mama’s boy was definitely one of them. It was unusual for him to treat her so coldly.

Beau glanced over in her direction, looked Mama directly in her eye, and then ignored her to look back at the table.

Savannah glanced at Dad. His jaw was clenched at Beau’s disrespectful display, but after receiving a soothing look from his wife, he didn’t say anything, and returned to his work with the eggs. 

If Savannah thought it would help, then she would have said something to her little brother. But Beau was angry at her too. They’d been in solidarity at first when they were informed of their removal from Ilvermorny. They were both outraged, and they leaned on one another in their personal crisis. They schemed together, complained together. She’d even seen her little brother cry, and he didn’t do that often.

However, after speaking to Aunt Seraphina, she had realized there was nothing she could do. 

Why make her parents feel miserable for something they thought they were doing for the safety of their children? Beau didn’t feel the same, and he had viewed her resignation as a betrayal to their cause, and had said very little to her since. If there was one thing Beau was good at, it was icing someone out. 

Ruby bewitched a spoon to stir the grits, and she turned to Beau, trying again, “How’d you sleep, son?”

Beau didn’t look at her this time, but he did shrug. 

She looked further discouraged. “We’re making cheese grits for your goodbye breakfast, it was Savannah’s idea.” 

Beau flat out ignored her this time, continuing to glare angrily at the table.

Daddy seemed to have had enough of the silence, and his voice rang out sharply through the kitchen, “ _Beau!_ Your mother is talking to you!”

Beau lifted his head, his eyes meeting Sawyer’s in a nonverbal challenge. 

Savannah looked nervously between them. She didn’t want to deal with another fight, not during their last morning together in the same country. Ruby seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she put a calming hand on Daddy’s shoulder, shook her head, and then motioned again to the eggs. 

They left Beau alone.

Breakfast was soon ready. Ruby brought the grits and the eggs to the table. Sawyer brought the pecan pancakes, and to help out, Savannah got up and grabbed the plates and the silverware. Setting the table was typically Beau’s job, but it plain that he wouldn’t be doing it this morning.

Things started off slow in conversation and Savannah blamed Beau for that, considering the atmosphere had been just fine whenever it had been just her with their parents. 

However, she and her parents were all very good at navigating uncomfortable situations, politicians that they were, and the conversation gradually started up again. 

“You’ll have to write to us all the time, Savannah,” Ruby said, after swallowing a large spoonful of eggs, “We want to hear all about Hogwarts.”

“You know,” Sawyers aid as he dusted the corners of his mouth off with a napkin, “A friend of mine went to Hogwarts. They’ve got four houses, just like Ilvermorny.”

Savannah knew this already. She’d done a bit of research about Hogwarts when her parents had first told her of her impending transfer. 

Savannah took another bite of her pancakes, continuing to chat about not-so-important things with her mother and father. Beau finished his breakfast loudly, tossing his silverware onto his plate and making sure to scrape his chair against the ground as he pushed it back. When he was on his feet, he grabbed his dishes roughly, stomped over to the sink, and then tossed them inside. 

“I’ll be in my room.” He said grumpily, turning around and stomping just as he had before out of the dining room and over towards the stairs.

“Be ready by noon!” Daddy called, watching Beau’s retreating form with annoyance simmering behind his gaze, “We’re leaving then!”

Beau only grunted in acknowledgement and disappeared from sight.

“That boy is getting on my nerves.” Daddy said, angrily taking a bite of a grits.

“He’s upset,” Ruby replied, staring forlornly off in the direction that Beau had ran off in. “You can’t blame him for that.” 

“Savannah is upset, and I don’t see her running around in blatant disrespect.” 

Savannah glanced at her plate uncomfortably.

“Savannah is Savannah, and _Beau_ is Beau.” Ruby chided, shaking her head. “You can’t compare them like that, it’s not fair.”

“It’s not fair for you to be so soft on him, Ruby.” Daddy countered. 

This was beginning to sound like a worn out argument that Savannah had heard many times before. She began to eat her cheese grits even more quickly. She didn’t feel like hearing this for what felt like the thousandth time.

“Well, I have to be a little soft on him, since you’re so hard on him.” 

Sawyer settled Ruby with a disagreeable look, and then shook his head. “I don’t want to argue about this right now.”

Mama pursed her lips into a very thin line. “We wouldn’t be arguing if you weren’t snapping at Beau.”

“Only because he’s snapping at _you_.” 

Savannah pushed back from the table, following the steps Beau had taken to get to the sink. She gingerly set her plate inside, on top of her brother’s, and then spun around to face her parents, “I’m going to go make sure that all of my stuff is ready.” 

“I just want you to _think_ a little, Sawyer, before you--” Ruby cut her sentence off and looked in Savannah’s direction, “Okay, darling.”

“Make sure you’re ready by noon, honey.” Sawyer said, smiling warmly at her. 

“I will. Thank y'all for breakfast. It was delicious.” Savannah pushed off from the counter and flitted out into the entryway. By the time she had made it to the stairs, her parents continued to argue from behind her. 

Thankfully, when she was on the second floor, she couldn’t hear them. 

She moved down the hallway, stopping a little when she noticed that Beau’s door was open. 

Carefully, she stepped close to the wall, sliding along it quietly until she was standing just to the left of his doorway. Silently, she peeked around the corner to see what he was doing. 

Beau was slumped in a swinging chair he had hanging from his ceiling. His head was dipped forward, like he couldn’t even be bothered with holding it up. He was very still, which was unusual, because he wasn’t the type to sit silently and without moving for too long. Looking at him made her feel sad. Sad because she didn’t like to see her little brother upset, but also sad because he wouldn’t even give her the opportunity to try to make him feel better.

Beau was too lost in thought to notice her, his head so far into the clouds. 

On accident, Savannah found herself sighing. She hadn’t sighed very loud, but Beau must have been paying attention more than she had thought. He swiveled around in his chair, eyebrows stitching together at the sight of her. His frown was as sharp as a razor, and she ducked back like she’d been cut. 

“What are you doing?” He hissed. His voice cracked in his annoyance. He was getting up from his swinging chair and then bounding towards her. 

“I’m sorry!” She stammered, “I was just--”

Beau didn’t listen long enough to hear what exactly it was that she had _just_ , because he slammed his bedroom door hard in her face. 

She stared at the white, slightly chipped painted surface of his door for a few seconds, remembering a time when it had always been open to her. 

She sighed again, shook her head, and stepped away. There were tears prickling at her eyes, and she lifted a hand to furiously wipe them away. _No, I will not cry._

She was more emotional than normal, and she knew that everything else going on was making her feel more hurt about Beau. She was used to his frosty demeanor, the way he rolled his eyes at what she said. 

She inhaled shakily, and then started off in purposeful strides towards her bedroom. 

* * *

To keep her mind off of things, Savannah spent the next two hours meticulously checking her things.

She was going to be sad at Hogwarts, but she refused to have it be because she had forgotten to bring her favorite pair of stockings. 

The ticking of her bedside clock was a constant reminder that she was running out of time. She tried not to think about how lonely she would be. She had spent six years at Ilvermorny. She was well respected, well liked, and friendly with most of the people she met there. It didn’t hurt that everyone knew her family’s name, and it also didn’t hurt that she was carrying on the family legacy, practically skipping as she did so. 

But at Hogwarts… who _knew_ what it would be like. Savannah didn’t need the admiration she received at Ilvermorny, but she sure would like the companionship. 

At 11:40am, her father’s voice rang loud and clear through the house. “Savannah! Beau! It’s about time y’all start bringing your stuff down!”

Savannah blinked, lifting her head from her stack of books. Wow, the time had really flown by, hadn’t it? 

She took a deep breath, put her books back in her trunk, and then climbed to her feet. She dusted off her pants, closed her trunk, and then counted to three. _1-2-3._ Time to get this rodeo started. 

She grabbed her trunk tightly with her hand and took careful steps towards her door. She was nearly by the stairs before Beau emerged from his room, looking even surlier than he had in the morning-- if that were possible. 

They made eye contact, and she tried to smile. Just something to let him know that she understood what he was going through, and that he wasn’t alone in his suffering. She was right there too, going through the same exact thing. She knew that Beau knew that. 

He wasn’t stupid, but he was stubborn. 

So when he decidedly looked away from her, she only shrugged her shoulders and began yanking her trunk down the stairs. 

When she was halfway down, Sawyer came around the corner. He immediately pointed his wand at her trunk and levitated it right out of her hands.

“Thank you, Daddy.” She said, hurrying down the stairs. Ruby came around then, looking nervous. She immediately descended on Savannah, her hands brushing across Savannah’s shoulders in familiar, appearance improving gestures. 

“You’ve got a bit of dust here, baby.” She murmured. 

Savannah didn't protest, knowing how upset her mother must be feeling right now. 

Beau was at the top of the stairs then, and Savannah turned her head to look at him. He had pulled his trunk close to his body, preparing to yank it down the stairs.

“Beau,” Daddy said, stepping back around to stairs after he had lowered Savannah’s trunk to the ground, “I can help you if you’d like?”

Beau didn’t say anything for a minute. Then, he yanked his trunk down two consecutive steps. “I’m fine.” He said shortly, not looking Daddy in the eyes once.

Savannah looked back to her parents, hoping that this wouldn’t start another argument between them, but her Daddy didn’t say a word. Either Mama must have gotten through to him, or he was feeling emotional enough about his son leaving to not lecture him. 

They waited together for two long minutes as Beau pulled his trunk down, step by step. Savannah understood where he was coming from, but he was really being a big baby about all of this. 

Eventually, but not soon enough, all four of the Wilkinsons were gathered around each other in the entrance area of their house. Daddy stuffed his hands into his front right pocket and pulled out an empty bottle of muggle lotion, “This is our International Portkey. It’s going to leave at _exactly_ noon. That means we’ve got twelve minutes before we’re outta here. Now--”

Beau cut him off. “ _Twelve_ minutes? Why did you make us come down now?”

Daddy continued as if Beau had never spoken in the first place. “Now, unless y’all have been doing things I don’t know about, y’all have never used an International Portkey before. I want to warn you, they’re a lot more uncomfortable than a regular one.”

Savannah made a face. Portkeys weren’t particularly relaxing methods of travel on a normal day, let alone when travelling across an entire ocean. She’d always hated that pulling, tugging feeling right in the center of her belly. No doubt, it would be ten times worse this time. Maybe 12:00 pm would roll around _later_ rather than sooner.

“It’s going to last about twice as long as normal, too, so be ready for that. But once it’s done, we’ll arrive in London, where we can go and get your school supplies and a room for the night.”

Mama made a face. “Oh, I hate these things.”

Sawyer nodded. “I do too.” He glanced between Beau and Savannah. “Some people end up vomiting after international travel. I hope you two can manage to keep it together?” He lifted an eyebrow, grinning at the both of them.

Beau rolled his eyes dramatically, “I’m not going to throw up.” 

Savannah pursed her lips. She didn’t have a weak stomach or anything, but _Lord_ , what if she threw up? It would be so embarrassing. She cast a nervous look at her dad, and he laughed loudly at the look on her face. 

“You’re looking nervous over there, Savannah.”

She waved her hand, laughing him off. “Hush, Daddy, I’m not going to puke.” 

After some more chatting, Daddy looked around at all of them, “Everyone, get a hand on your luggage.” 

Savannah grabbed onto her trunk, her fingers curling around the handle of her trunk. This was it. In just a few short minutes, she would be standing on the other side of the world. She would be preparing to start her schooling at a new place, with new classmates and new professors. She didn’t know if she would like it, and she didn’t know if she would hate it, but that didn’t matter anymore did it? She was going, no matter what that might mean.

“Everyone, grab on!” Sawyer cautioned, holding out the portkey/lotion bottle.

Savannah reached out first, resting two fingers on the end of the bottle facing her. Beau was next, draping his entire palm across the top of it. Ruby was last, her fingers holding onto the bottom of it. 

The anticipation was growing with every second. Had they passed the minute mark? Or were they further along, with only ten seconds to go?

Savannah Wilkinson took a breath, and midway through that, she felt a searing, tug against her navel. She barely had time to blink before she was flying through the air, faster than her mind could even comprehend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read this, I want to say thank you. Feel free to leave a review :) Next chapter: Ted Tonks


	4. The Earl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story takes place in an alternate universe. Many of the characters are aged up and down, as to have them all in Hogwarts at the same time. I know that Bellatrix did not attend school with James and Sirius, but in this story she does. I hope to achieve a good balance of foreshadowing and unreliable narrating. I hope you all enjoy, and any reviews, comments, or suggestions would be much appreciated.
> 
> Say a hello all to Ted Tonks, a member of the muggle British nobility. Ted is a seventh year Hufflepuff, and is best friends with Edgar Bones and Frank Longbottom. And, of course, in love with Andromeda Black, who will one day become his wife. But that is further down the story.

**TED TONKS I**

_August 31st, 1977_

_Evening_

_Axminister_ _, England_

* * *

His name was Edward Tonks,  _ Earl  _ of Ogle.

Raised in the lap of luxury, Edward was the firstborn son of Henry Tonks,  _ Duke  _ of Newcastle. 

The Duke’s prestige reached far and wide, to every corner of the United Kingdom. He had been under the weight of such a legacy since the day that he was born. His mother and father had desperately hoped for a son who could be heir to his father’s title. When they fell pregnant with Edward, the Duke and Duchess considered themselves beyond blessed to have had their prayers answered. 

They lovingly doted on their son, their precious heir, eager to groom him for the life that they had so neatly laid out for him. At least, they did for a bit. 

When Edward was entering primary school, strange things occurred wherever he went. Small, inexplicable things. Things that made no sense, not even a little bit. 

It was impossible to prove, but somehow, all of the signs pointed to Edward. 

The Duke and Duchess were dreadfully confused. Edward had never been a big troublemaker, after all. He was a sweet boy, but mischief did always seem to befall him. 

Time went on and Edward still managed to find himself in sticky situations, wherever his feet took him. 

By this point, the Duke and Duchess were beginning to suspect that Edward might not be what they considered “normal,” and that would most certainly not do.

Edward’s father always favored harsh forms of discipline. The strangeness in Edward made him cruel. Henry could feel the strangeness in his son. Edward never meant to do anything wrong. He would cry and swear that he didn’t know how these unexplainable things happened, it must have been magic or something, but that only made the punishments worse. 

Edward would desperately apologize and promise to do better, even though he had absolutely no clue how to fix a problem that seemed to him outside of his control. 

The Duke tried all sorts of things to remove the otherness from his son, but it never worked. 

Edward kept trying to do better, but eventually his parents grew impatient, and finally it felt like they had given up on him. Henry became desperate for a spare heir. The title of Duke rightfully belonged to Edward, but Henry hoped that he could bypass his eldest son and perhaps drape his legacy over the shoulders of a more worthy son. 

Thus followed the quick succession of Edward’s three beautiful little sisters. They were nothing but a disappointment to their father, but Edward loved them dearly. 

His parents didn’t appreciate his gentle nature and his vivid imagination, but his sisters adored it. He was a devoted brother, and he continued to try his absolute best to please his mother and father, but he always seemed to fall short. It was deeply disappointing, but it had always been this way, and at least he no longer had to be alone for it.

When he was eleven, he received a letter that changed his life forever. 

Edward had been formally accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His father tore the letter to pieces and burned it before Edward’s eyes, believing it to be a cruel joke. However, there was a nagging suspicion in his parents’ minds that the letter was in fact, genuine. They had seen enough strange things surrounding Edward to at least consider it. 

When the second letter arrived, hand-delivered by a stern looking professor who called herself Professor McGonagall, they knew. 

Edward’s father angrily proclaimed that he would never allow his son to pursue such a “hocus pocus education” but his mother held a different view. 

Perhaps if they allowed Edward to attend, he might learn to control his magic? While they cared little for the actual cultivation of such a skill, his parents wanted to see those strange, unexplainable occurrences brought to an end. 

With considerable effort, the Duchess managed to convince the Duke to let Edward attend Hogwarts, on the condition that he maintain his normal education on summer holidays.

As soon as he found himself at Hogwarts, he knew he had found his true home. It was like a dream to Edward, who had started introducing himself as “Ted” at school. 

He was sorted into Hufflepuff quickly, for there was no doubt where he belonged, and he took great pride in donning his house colors. It was scary to leave his home and his sisters, but despite this fear, he adjusted to Hogwarts well. He was extremely studious, studying his textbooks thoroughly and carefully, as if committing each word to memory, and he was quite successful in making close friends. 

Frank Longbottom was the first. They were sorted into Hufflepuff together and it had just felt natural for the pair of them to partner up. Edgar Bones was the second. They’d were placed next to each other in class, and a fast friendship blossomed between them. Ted introduced Edgar to Frank and a trio was born. 

Ted’s school years were bliss, but his summers much less so. 

He often felt like he were warring with himself. As a wizard, he didn’t fit in so well into the life of his parents. It felt wrong, and forced, and he didn’t like it. However, he didn’t feel much better in the magical world. He was a muggleborn, an imposter. 

He had a foot in each world, but both were trying to push him out. 

Fate, and the weight of legacy would keep him tied to the muggle world, but he was deeply connected to the world of magic as well. He decided that he wouldn’t allow either side to get what they wanted. He would keep both feet on either side of the line, even if it meant having to do things he didn’t quite want to do.

With every summer, Ted was grateful to see his little sisters, but home was not a welcome sight. Upon arrival, the Duke would confiscate his wand, his books, his robes, and even his beloved Quidditch gear, and he would lock them away until the next term began. 

Ted always felt as if a vital part of him had been stripped away. Unfortunately, this is what the cost of having access to both worlds was, and even if he didn’t want to, it was a price he would pay nonetheless.

Ted sighed. 

The summers always wore him down, but he was nearly finished. It was his last summer vacation as a student at Hogwarts. He didn’t know what that meant for his future, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to, so he decided to stick to the good parts of that thought. And by that, he meant the fact that he was returning. 

It had been a long summer. He visited Edgar earlier in the break, but beyond that, they hadn’t had very much contact. Edgar was hopeless when it came to muggle communication, and Ted didn’t often take the risk of communicating through magical means. 

He wondered what Frank had been up to. Was he still being blind about Alice, or had he come to a big epiphany?

And what of the other Hufflepuffs? Amos and Charity and Imogen and the rest of the gang? How had they been? 

He was bottled up with excitement, but it was a feeling that he was used to. 

It was something he experienced every summer vacation. Weeks of his family’s oppressive home made him long for the drafty breeze in the Hogwarts corridors. Even Peeves the Poltergeist was not enough for Ted to think about Hogwarts with any other feeling than longing.

Longing. 

He felt something burn in his chest. Oh, he knew all about longing. 

The emotion appeared in his brain for the first time as a boy, and it had never really left. Growing up with the Duke as a father, and being treated the way he had at Hogwarts had made Ted a strong man. Kind and gentle, but strong just the same. 

But… in her hands, he melted. 

Oh, yes, he knew all about longing. 

Longing was her fingers, long and slender, sliding through his and feeling just right. Longing was the way their eyes met from across the Great Hall, intense and silent and wild, all rolled into one searing glance. Longing was the awful silence that began every summer they were in their family’s homes. Longing was Andromeda Black. 

Just thinking of her name brought a smile to Ted’s face, and he found himself trying to remember the exact way her hair fell against her shoulder. He wanted to picture the exact way it curled against her shirt, and fell down the length of her arm. 

“Excuse me,  _ sir _ .” His tutor interrupted irritably, settling Ted with a cross look. 

He was one of those ancient looking tutors, an elderly Professor from Cambridge. He was a smart man, no doubt, but he was different from who had been instructing him for the previous three summers, and Ted had been having trouble adjusting. 

Not to mention that the tutor’s voice was strikingly similar to Professor Binns, who was notorious for putting the students to sleep before he finished reading his first paragraph.

“Oh,” Ted started, blinking out of his stupor. He sat straighter in his seat and tightened his grasp on his pencil. “I’m sorry. You were saying?”

“I’d like you to calculate the magnitude of this vector. I’ve written it out for you here.” His tutor slid a piece of notebook paper towards Ted, who reached out for it with tired fingers.

He’d been at it for hours now, and quite frankly, he was growing tired. 

This was his last day of tutoring, and he would take his exams bright and early tomorrow morning, before he would be carted off to Kings Cross station. He knew that since he was this close to the finish line, he ought to just power through and put his nose to the parchment. 

It was for the very same reason that he found it so difficult. He just… he just wanted to be back already.

He wanted to complain about Frank stealing his socks, and he wanted to make silly jokes with Amara. He wanted to talk about muggle music with Edgar. And oh, Merlin, he wanted to be a Prefect again. 

Specifically, with Andromeda at his side. 

He loved his sisters, and he loved his parents too (even if that sentiment didn’t always feel returned) but there was just something about Hogwarts that he felt desperate to return to. 

Sighing, Ted reached for the sheet of notebook paper and pulled it towards him, settling his eyes on the equation in front of him. Part of the deal he’d made with his parents to attend Hogwarts was that he would have to keep up with muggle schoolwork with tutors in the summer. After he finished this year at Hogwarts, they were expecting him to take his A-levels, move onto University, and then settle into the work that came with his family’s prestige and status. 

His hands felt foreign wrapped around the pencil, almost like he’d forgotten how to hold it, but he persevered, scratching his work out along the paper as he rushed to find the correct answer. Due to his hurry, he made a few mistakes along the way, which forced him to return and find the right answer. But, painstakingly so, he finally finished the equation, and he pushed it back to his tutor eagerly.

The elderly man reached out with veiny, spotted fingers and pulled it towards him. His eyes were narrowed, either from analysis of Ted’s answer, or just plain bad eyesight.

“Good job, Edward.” He said approvingly, slowly extending his hand to jot down a checkmark at the top. “I do believe you’re ready for your exams tomorrow morning. -- Get some rest, will you? Your father requested the earliest possible slot, so I’ll be seeing you bright and early at 7:15.”

Ted nodded absently, trying his best to look like he wasn’t completely starting to space out. He must not have done a very good job, for his tutor cleared his throat very loudly. 

Ted apologized, acknowledged the time of their upcoming test, and then gathered all of his things together. He had just finished stuffing everything into his bookbag when the elderly man hobbled from the room, leaving the door open behind him. The room was empty now, save for him, and he let out a sigh of relief. 

Only one more night, and he would be back at Hogwarts again. A quick glance at his watch told him that dinner ought to be ready within the hour. Good, as soon as dinner was finished, Ted would be able to slip away to his room for one more night of restless sleep. 

* * *

The hour between that moment and dinner passed quickly, and before Ted even knew it, he was sitting to his father’s right, listening to the clinking sound of spoons tapping against bowls.

It was leek-and-potato soup for the first course tonight. With a smile, he glanced towards one of his sisters. 

Anne ate her dinner with great fervor, one that their mother would no doubt disapprove of. 

Anne, out of all of his sisters, had always been the biggest troublemaker. More often than not, Annie (as he preferred to call her), managed to slip away without punishment. Such was the blessing of being the youngest child with older siblings to clean up their messes. 

More often than not, Charlotte (he called her Lottie), was the one to do the cleaning. She was the eldest after Ted, and the one that Annie and Lizzie looked to when Ted was off at school. 

She was very similar to him, he reckoned, and she shared the burden of his parent’s disappointment. 

Lizzie, meanwhile, was the quietest of the three girls. Demure, and passive, but sweet all the same. 

They ate dinner as a family most nights, but unlike some of the families on the television shows they watched, it did not seem to bring them any closer. Silence was normally the conversation of choice. Their mother sometimes inquired about their schooling and activities, their father more seldom so. Even Annie knew to keep quiet at dinner times. 

So it was of some surprise to Ted when his father cleared his throat. 

“Ed, you have your year six exams tomorrow morning, yes?” 

“Yes, sir. I’ve got the earliest slot in the morning. My tutor expects we’ll have plenty of time to make it to Kings Cross.” 

“I expect you to get a good night’s sleep tonight. Don’t you stay up too late reading that nonsense of yours. You will have all year to focus on that, and I expect full marks on tomorrow’s exams, or near to it. You’ll be done at that school of yours next year, and the grades you make tomorrow will play an important role when we put you into university.”

“I’ve been working really hard, I promise.” Ted assured his father. 

“I expect no less. You’ll be resuming with the tutor when you return next summer, but I expect you to continue with your studies while you’re… gone.”

Ted did not see why this needed to be said, for he had done this exact thing six years in a row now, but he nodded nonetheless. “Of course, father.”

“Right then.”

The silence resumed. 

* * *

Once dinner ended, his father led him to the locked room that kept all of Ted’s school supplies. It was the only room in the house that the servants were not allowed to clean. Because of this, it was the dustiest in the house. 

The night before school began was the only day of the summer that Ted was allowed to have access to his school things. 

He lugged his trunk up the staircase that led to his room in the east wing without complaint and returned for his broomstick, which was kept in a closed box, lest someone get a curious eye and peak into the room. When everything was gathered together, he sat on the floor of his room and opened up the trunk. 

Everything was just as he left it. 

He picked up his wand and pointed it at his door. He murmured the incantation for the Locking Charm, and noted the sound of it clicking into place. The spell was easy, third year material practically, but satisfying to use nonetheless. He’d turned seventeen at the beginning of the year, eight months ago, but had yet to be able to enjoy his newfound ability of using magic outside of school. It was surreal to think that this would be his new normal, or at least it would be when he was not around his family’s home. 

The worst thing about not having his school things during the summer was that it put him abysmally behind the rest of his class in his summer homework. He used to beg his father to at least give him access to his textbooks. The summer homework was always theory based, and so he did not need a wand, but his father always refused, holding fast to his tenant of there being no magic done in his home, not even reading. 

He would start it tonight, continue it on the train, and run himself ragged finishing it during the two days at school before classes again. 

Edgar would offer to help. He did every year, but Ted always felt guilty taking him up on it. Even after six years in the magical world, he felt like he needed to prove that he was just as able to do the work as those that grew up as wizards. 

He grabbed  _ A History of Magic _ , and turned it open to Chapter 48. Best to start with the hardest class first, was his reasoning. 

He climbed into his bed and settled amongst his pillows, preparing himself to read about the last giant war of 1889. 

Ted was finishing up the chapter when there was a familiar tapping sound against his window. It was his favorite part of every night. 

He was not allowed to have an owl, and it was too risky for his friends to send him anything, lest the animal arrive mid-day while the family and staff were out and about. However, he’d found that owls delivering the  _ Daily Prophet  _ always arrived when they said that they would. He signed up for the midnight editions of the newspaper, and it always arrived at 12:00am on the dot. 

It was Ted’s only connection to the world outside of muggle’s, and he looked forward to it each night. 

The window opened easily, and the owl hooted quietly as he untied the string knot around its foot. He always paid for his papers in full at the beginning of the summer, because his wizard money stayed locked up with the rest of his things. 

“Thank you again.” He said to the owl, stroking a finger over its head. 

_ TRAGEDY STRIKES THE CCP CHARITY BALL. THREE DEAD,  _ read the front page headline. 

Ted blinked, and sat on his bed to read. 

_ Minister of Magic Harold Minchum said at 3 were killed yesterday night in an attack at a charity event that he described as an "act of war" -- blaming The Dark Lord’s followers (known as Death Eaters) for the violence that included curses, explosions and a terrifying situation at a wizarding manor. _

_ The perpetrators escaped in the ensuing chaos, but the testimony of witnesses has led magical Law Enforcement officers to the conclusion that it was the act of Death Eaters working in service to You-Know-Who.  _

_ "The Ministry considers this an abhorrent show of supremacist violence," Adeline Bones, Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, said to our reports after the attack. "An act committed by a terrorist organization, The Death Eaters stand for everything against what we are, a free and safe country." _

_ In the wake of the attacks, Minister Minchum said he was imposing lesser restrictions on the requirements for aurors and declaring a state of preparation. Anyone deemed dangerous could be placed under house arrest. Minchum called the attacks "unprecedented" and Bones called them an attack "on all wizarding kind." _

_ (Continued on pg. 12) _

Ted finished the rest of the article wide, fearful eyes. He knew better than most of the prejudice that ran deep in the magical world, but to see that the vitriol had risen to such a level as to a public attack on Ministry officials… that was certainly a new development. 

He noted that Edgar’s mother was mentioned in the article, which brought to mind the notion that some of his friends were likely there when the attack took place. 

The names of the three dead were not recognizable to Ted, but still, he worried. Had anyone he knew been hurt? Was Andromeda there? Surely she would have been fine, with her family being who they were, but what of Edgar? His brave, but reckless friend surely could not have resisted the temptation to join the fighting. 

Anxiety settled in his gut. He would have to wait an entire night to learn further details. Suddenly, he felt very tired, eager to sleep and get the night over with. 

It was getting late. His father would be furious to know Ted was still up at a late hour when he had exams the next day. He dimmed the lights and put his textbooks and wand back into the trunk. 

Though it was dark in his room and comfortable in his bed, Ted Tonks lay awake for another hour, thinking of his friends, of his unknown enemies, and the war to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read this, I want to say thank you. Feel free to leave a review :) Next chapter: Lily Evans


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